


The Fire of Love

by headoverhook



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-28 11:42:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headoverhook/pseuds/headoverhook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their love had seemed to be as romantic but less tragic than the love story of Romeo and Juliet – a love that would last forever. Though it didn't have a tragic ending, it still left Emma with a broken heart. Until fate decided to reunite them again and Emma was thrust back into the flames. Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Not sure how long this one will be, but it's definitely going to be a shortish story (length of chapters around 1,000 to 2,000 words). Just to let you know what to expect. :-)**
> 
>  
> 
> **Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me.**

Emma shifted in the saddle, staring up at the dark clouds billowing above her, and with a sigh she pushed her heels into Moonlight's flanks to get going again. There wasn't anything she could do about it, she needed to spend the night in the hunting cabin; she couldn't be out in the storm that was about to break in less than an hour.

As she rode along the small trail towards the cabin she concentrated on going through the list of things she needed to do when she came to the cabin, occupying her brain with thoughts about getting a fire going and checking the cans in the pantry to find something not totally unhealthy to eat, instead of letting her mind drift to the memories that lurked in the shadows of her brain when it came to the hunting cabin.

Memories of the hours she'd spent with Killian there when they were kids, feeling like Romeo and Juliet hiding out there, knowing that their families wouldn't approve of them spending time together. Not to mention falling in love.

But when she rode into the clearing and her eyes fell on the cabin an image flickered through her mind, the image so vivid that for a second she wondered if he was actually standing on the porch with his hat shoved up his head and this lopsided smirk on his face. She felt a sudden pang where her heart was, and scoffed out loud.

Killian and she were ancient history, and she did  _not_  still have feelings for him. It had been a teenager love, nothing more. Looking back at things always painted them in a brighter light, and she ignored the hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach as she slipped out of the saddle.

The routine tasks of caring for Moonlight were helping her to keep the memories in check, though she heard his voice whispering words of everlasting love in her ear when she pulled the saddle down off Moonlight's back, heard their joined laughter echoing through the small stable when she rubbed Moonlight's flank dry, felt lips brushing over her neck as she leaned forward to fill hay in the manger, and her jaw started hurting from all the teeth gritting.

"Damn you, Jones," she muttered under her breath, pressing her hand hard against the wood of the stall as she leaned her head against Moonlight's neck, fighting against the overwhelming urge to let herself get lost in the memories of past love.

"Nothing past about it, Swan," she mumbled, her fingers curling in Moonlight's mane.

Deep down she always knew that Killian had been special, that even after he broke her heart she would never forget him, but she'd managed to banish him into the darkest corner of her brain and had shut away the memories about him.

Until now.

He stayed by her side when she stepped into the cabin and walked over to the hearth, his lilting voice telling her how best to get a fire going, and her hands were trembling as she lighted the match and held it against the paper, watching the flames lick over the paper and the kindling start to glow while she felt his presence all around her. The memories were assaulting her with every step she took, and she felt the eerie wish to pull her brains out and stomp on them until she stopped thinking about him.

Of course that wasn't possible, and Emma let out a sigh as she walked into the pantry to find something to eat. Her eyes swept over the shelves, taking in the selection while contemplating if she should be reckless and open one of her cousins's cans or should opt for the much healthier choice of one of her mother's.

But before she could make her choice her eyes wandered to the top shelf and actual tears sprang to her eyes when she spotted the utensils for s'mores, her vision blurring when she heard his laughter ring through the cabin. She almost expected him to stand in front of the fire, holding a marshmallow on a stick into it, when she rushed out of the pantry, but of course no one was there.

Only the shadows of the past were haunting her.

Emma didn't know how long she was standing in front of the fire, staring into the flames with her heart squeezing painfully in her chest as one memory after another came back to her. But then she heard a sound and acted on instinct, her fingers closing around her gun before her brain had even caught up.

Frantically she tried to remember if she'd locked the door, her shoulders sagging slightly as she recalled turning the key when she'd closed the door behind her. But then she heard scrapping and a moment later the ancient key dropped to the rug as someone pushed a key in from outside, and her heart started to race again until she remembered that only her family had keys for this cabin. Maybe one of her cousins had been out too long, and needed to find shelter in here, like she did.

She didn't think of the only person who had a key outside her family until the door opened and a stranger stepped in. Her finger tightened around the trigger, and she already opened her mouth to ask the man who he was and what he was doing here as he looked up and met her gaze, and her heart stopped beating.

"Hello, beautiful." The same blue eyes, the same lilting voice, and the same lopsided smirk that still managed to shoot a shiver down her spine. "What a pleasant surprise to find you here."


	2. Chapter 2

When Killian rode into the clearing and saw smoke curl out of the chimney of the cabin he was slightly surprised, but it had happened before – that he found the cabin already occupied. He just hoped it was one of Emma's cousins, and not her father. Matt, Steve and Bill were much less hostile than David, though the hostility between the two families had ceased considerable since his father had died of a heart attack a year ago.

Liam had finally been able to make all the decisions on his own when it came to the business, and had asked Killian for help. Of course Killian came back to help his brother, without hesitating even for a second, though he had to admit it was hard to be back, to be assaulted by all the memories of Emma every time he took a ride into the country, and the first time he needed to stay at the cabin to find shelter had hurt so much that he'd wished for a brief moment he could just stop breathing.

Killian slipped down from Midnight and stroked his neck; the paint horse was with him since he was a foal, even forgiving Killian's betrayal when he went away and couldn't take him with him. Closing his fingers around the reins, he walked slowly towards the stable, his mind on Emma, his heart heavy in his chest, even after all these years.

Four years.

_If you don't stop seeing her I'll ruin them, and she won't be able to go to college._

His father's voice was still ringing in his ears, Killian was still feeling the anger that had boiled up in him, the urge to hit his own father. He'd forced him to choose, and Killian had made a decision without telling Emma about it, knowing that his father was ruthless and that the threat wouldn't only stay a threat. He'd have done it. He'd have found a way to ruin Emma's family and destroy her dream. He hadn't wanted her to have to make a choice – being with him or going to college. So he made it for her.

Four years ago he broke Emma's heart, and his own with it, letting her know that it was over because he wasn't in love with her anymore. Of course he'd lied, he'd loved her with all his heart, body and soul. He still loved her.

He'd contemplated after his father had died to go see her, to talk to her, to explain everything. But then Liam had asked him for his help, and the first weeks after his father's death had been insane, his head spinning from all the figures Liam was throwing at him. When things had calmed down Killian had more than once already written a text, his finger hovering over the send button, but he never hit it, and then the conversations with the Swan family started – Liam wanting to establish a business relationship with them and not having them as their enemies, like it had been when his father was the boss – and the feud between the families was finally buried, but it didn't mean that they had forgiven him.

He'd seen the hostile glares of Emma's cousins, heard it in the tone of their voices when they talked to him. They knew he broke Emma's heart, she would have told them after the breakup, and they showed him how much they despised him still.

So he hadn't called her, or gone to see her, believing it was for her best. Coming back into her life like this, out of the blue, would probably only hurt her more. So he stayed away.

But it had hurt like hell. Still hurt like hell. But he'd accepted a long time ago that it would never stop hurting. Emma was the love of his life, and always would be.

With one push he shoved the stable door open, mentally pushing Emma back into a corner of his brain so that the feeling of pain wasn't so acute. But the breath whooshed out of him and a slight dizziness made him reach for the wall to steady himself as his eyes fell on the horse standing in a stall.

Emma's horse. She was home.

He stepped slowly closer, wondering if he was seeing a hallucination. But when he lifted his hand and stroked his fingers down the mare's nose he knew it was real.

"Hey, Moonlight," he whispered, leaning his head against the mare's neck. "I'm glad to see you well."

Moonlight shoved her nose into his shoulder, whickering, and a lump formed in his throat as he ran his fingers through her mane. The mare recognized him, and her enthusiastic welcoming made his chest constrict. Animals were way more forgiving than humans, and as he stroked his hand over Moonlight's back he wondered how the welcoming would go over in the cabin.

For one moment Killian contemplated turning around and riding away, but he heard the low growl of thunder in the distance and knew that it would be close to suicide to try getting home before the storm was coming.

Straightening his shoulders, he walked over to Midnight and started to untack him, taking longer than really necessary since he needed the time to prepare himself.

He was about to see Emma. The woman he loved. The woman whose heart he'd broken. The woman who probably hated him now with a passion.

His heart jumped hard against his ribcage as he clapped his hand on Midnight's back before leaving the stable and walking over to the cabin. He hesitated on the porch, normally he would knock first to tell the person inside that someone was out here, but he didn't want to give her the chance to not even let him in. She could decide to tell him to go sleep in the stable without him ever seeing her face, and he couldn't allow that. Now that he knew she was only a few feet away from him, he needed to see her.

So he took the key out of his pocket and slipped it into the lock, hearing the key that had been stuck in the lock from inside falling to the ground with a dull thump, and before he could chicken out he turned the key, opened the door and stepped in.

_God, she is so beautiful,_ was his first thought, his heart jumping into his throat.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted her, wondering how he was able to say anything at all, but his lips curled up into a lopsided smirk on their own, and he spoke again without even knowing what he would say next, "What a pleasant surprise to find you here."


	3. Chapter 3

The fire was sizzling behind her, and Emma knew she should feel warm. But a shiver still ran down her spine, probably not due to feeling cold but because of the man standing before her. And God, he was a man now. Four years ago he'd still carried the lankiness of his teenage years, his limbs had been still slightly too long for his body, his face had still carried that boyish glow. But he'd filled out his body nicely since then. Even with his coat on she could see that his body had formed muscles in all the right places, and when he pulled the hat off his head she felt the jolt down to her toes.

_Damn, damn, damn!_

His hair was ruffled, slightly too long, falling over his eyes. And his face … his features had matured over the last four years, everything had become more distinct. Cheekbones, jaw line, and he'd decided to wear a scruff. A scruff that made him look older. Even gave him a dangerous touch.

Emma didn't want to feel attracted to him, she'd even hoped that he'd put on weight or grown up to be not her type at all anymore. But everything about him pushed her buttons, and she wished she could flee, just walk out of the cabin, saddle Moonlight and ride away.

She didn't feel in the slightest ready to face him, even if it'd been four years since he broke up with her; the pain still felt fresh as if it had happened only a few weeks ago. She hated him for making her feel that way, she hated herself for wanting nothing more than to throw herself into his arms. But she was stronger than that, she would not give in to that urge.

"Long time no see, Jones," she finally said, proud that her voice didn't waver.

But his eyes narrowed, and she stiffened. He'd been able to read every slight change of her mood back in the days, and something told her that he was still able to read her like an open book now; no matter how hard she tried to hide her inner feelings from him. But by some small miracle he didn't point it out, he opted for small talk instead.

"How have you been, Emma?"

"Fine," she replied, hoping her tone carried the nonchalance she wanted it to carry. "Went to college. Just got my degree. Magna cum laude. I'm doing great."

Because studying had been the only thing that had kept her sane, stopped her brain from thinking about him. She still didn't want to think about him, but the fact that he was standing right in front of her made that very, very hard.

"Emma?" His voice was soft, so intimate, eerily familiar, and her heart broke all over again. "You can't lie to me. You know that."

"I don't wanna talk about it, Jones. It's water under the bridge. What happened between us ..." She had to gulp hard, feeling her voice starting to quiver. She still loved him. But she didn't want to love him. "It doesn't matter anymore."

God, she was lying her pants off. He probably knew it, too. But he decided, again, not to call her out on it, instead he just agreed.

"You're right. It doesn't matter anymore."

And she did _not_ feel disappointment. She did _not_.

He turned around and removed his coat, threw his hat on the table and threaded his fingers through his hair, rumpled it up even more. She cursed her body for reacting to the way he moved, to the play of his muscles under his shirt. But she kept stealing glances out of the corner of her eyes, studying him, cataloguing all the changes his body had gone through, comparing it to the memories she'd kept buried in a dark corner of her brain.

And then he suddenly spoke after minutes of absolute silence, his eyes boring into hers, and his words were like a curveball hitting her straight into her solar plexus, pushing all the air out of her lungs.

"O teach me how I should forget to think."

_No_ , a voice in her head screamed, her teeth aching as she gritted them together so hard that she feared her jaw might break. This son of a bitch did _not_ just say that. He did _not_ just quote Romeo and Juliet. He did _not_ just throw her back into time, made her remember all the times he quoted Shakespeare to her. This bastard did _not_ just shoot this low.

"My only love sprung from my only ..."

"Don't," she snapped, the air suddenly too thick to breathe. She needed to get out, she needed fresh air. She needed to get away from him. "Just don't."

And Emma rushed by him, yanked the door open and ran out into the night.

-/-

The door fell shut behind her, and Killian's knees almost gave out under him. What had he been thinking? Why did he quote Romeo and Juliet to her? He knew how she'd react.

He knew it.

But that still hadn't stopped him, because he just had to. Seeing her with her blonde tresses spilling down her back, with her sharp green eyes piercing him … he'd been thrust back in time, saw her eyes staring up at him as he laid between her legs, so close to be united with her. But they'd decided to wait, to wait until it would be legal for them to be together. They hadn't wanted to give their families a chance to use that against them. So they'd waited … and in the end they'd never gone so far.

Soul stealing kisses. Roaming hands. Their bodies rocking together without ever taking that ultimate step. Oh, how often had he imagined it. In his mind, in his dreams. Even after he'd broken up with her, he'd still dreamed about her. Every night at the beginning, at least once a week later.

He wanted her with a passion that made it hard to breathe, but more than that … he just wanted to hold her in his arms, feel her hands settle on his back, feel her breath brush over his neck, smell the shampoo in her hair … he just wanted to be with her.

But of course that wasn't possible. Because he'd pushed her away, made her think he didn't love her anymore. She would never forgive him. If she'd loved him as much as he'd loved her, still loved her, his cold rejection had broken her heart into a million pieces, and nothing could heal the wound he'd inflicted. She'd never trust him again. Never.

But seeing her again … he'd missed her so much. And she was just a few feet away, they were only separated by a wall of wood. Physically. But the walls she'd erected around her heart after his betrayal were thicker than that, and he didn't think he'd be able to break through them, to tear them down.

Once there hadn't been any walls between them. But that had been then … now the walls between them seemed to be impenetrable. And it was his fault. His decision had caused Emma to build them in the first place.

But maybe there was still a chance. Maybe he could still get through to her, explain everything. Maybe there was enough of their love left to be salvaged.

It was probably too late. But he had to try.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma couldn't believe he'd quoted Shakespeare, couldn't believe he'd be so cruel, couldn't believe he was still able to hurt her so deep by only saying some stupid words. But she felt tears pricking the back of her eyes as she curled her hands around the wooden railing. The wind was picking up, and she felt the first drops of rain on her fingers, but she couldn't move.

The urge to ride out into the night without looking back was overwhelming, but it'd be close to suicide to do it, and Emma knew it. There was no way she could avoid Killian, she had to go back in and face him. But she wasn't ready yet.

Taking in some deep breaths, she forced her galloping heart to calm down. She could do this. She'd just go back in and be totally cool, only saying the bare necessities, go to bed and the next morning she'd just leave without breakfast, and be done with it.

"Brilliant idea, Swan,"" she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment.

Now she just needed to find the strength to pull it off.

-/-

Killian stared at the closed door, deciding that he would give Emma some time to calm down, and himself time to think about how to approach her. He should probably start cooking dinner, they needed to eat, so he walked into the pantry to find something to warm up quickly.

A sad smile flitted over his face as his eyes landed on the utensils for making s'mores, remembering all the times he'd made s'mores for Emma, and how much he'd enjoyed watching her while she'd devoured the treats.

A lump formed in his throat, and Killian gulped hard to swallow it down, taking two cans of beans and two bottles of soda down from the shelf. For a brief moment he contemplated also taking one of the bottles of wine, but decided against it. Might not be the right time for drinking wine when Emma was so angry with him that she was about to rip his head off.

Walking back into the main room, he reached for a pot and emptied both cans into it, put it on the stove, started the flame. Reaching for a wooden spoon, he stirred while trying to come up with a good opening for the long overdue conversation. His mind was still reeling when Emma stepped back into the room, and one look at her told him that the conversation he wanted to have would probably not happen. At least not tonight.

"Good," Emma said in a cold voice as she saw him standing at the stove. "You've made dinner. Let's eat."

Killian didn't really know how to handle this version of Emma; she was so closed off, he'd never seen her this way. But of course it was his fault; he made her this way.

They ate in absolute silence, Emma not even looking up at him once, her shoulders stiff. He opened his mouth a few times to say something, but closed it every time. Maybe it was extremely cowardly of him to not start a conversation now, but he thought letting her sleep over it might not be such a bad idea.

She pushed back from the table as soon as she'd eaten, grabbing one bottle of soda and waving her hand over the dishes. "You can clean up. I'll take the bedroom, and you can sleep on the couch out here."

Emma was gone before he could even blink, and with a sigh he stood up and gathered the dirty dishes.

-/-

Emma couldn't sleep, staring up at the ceiling with wide opened eyes while listening for any noise from the other room. Checking the clock for the umpteenth time, she let out a deep sigh and threw the blanket off her body.

"Damn," she whispered, looking at the closed door, trying to talk herself out of it.

But her legs were working on their own accord apparently, walking her towards the door, and her hand reached for the knob, opening the door slowly, so that she wouldn't wake Killian in case he was already asleep.

He wasn't.

The moment Emma stepped into the room his eyes found hers, and he sat up immediately, letting the blanket fall to the ground. He shifted slightly forward, propped his elbows on his knees and looked up at her expectantly, clearly waiting for her to speak.

"Why?" she asked, the question out of her mouth before she could think about it.

"Why what?"

"Why did you break up with me?" Emma was surprised that her voice didn't waver, but her hands started to tremble and she folded her arms over her chest, determined to get an answer to the question that had plagued her for years. "I need to know."

"Emma, I ..."

"Why?"

He hesitated, his eyes burning into hers, and then his shoulders slumped and she knew he'd answer her. She didn't know if she felt relieved or scared, probably both.

"My father ..." he started, rubbing one hand over his face before he met her eyes again. "He told me he'd ruin all of you if I kept seeing you. You know he could have. He'd have left your parents with nothing, and … I couldn't let that happen. I knew if I told you, you would have chosen us, no matter the consequences. But you'd have hated me eventually, Emma." She gritted her teeth, wanted to shout at him, to yell out all her anger, all her pain. He probably saw the emotion flicker over her face, because his mouth tilted up into a sad smirk. "Like you hate me now. But this way you've been able to have the education you always wanted. I didn't want to take that away from you."

The anger burned hot through her and she let her arms drop, stepping towards him as she snapped, "So you decided our love doesn't mean anything, and you just threw it away?"

"Emma, I ..."

He'd jumped up from the couch and came towards her, but she held out her hand to stop him from coming any closer, her voice shaking with fury as she said, "Stay away from me."

"Emma, please."

His hand closed around her forearm despite her wanting him to stay as far away from her as possible, and she yelled, "Let go of me!"

"Emma, I still love you," he told her in a desperate tone. "I never stopped loving you."

Before she could think about it Emma raised her hand and slapped him, his face jerking to the side with the force.

"You're ..."

Emma couldn't even get any words out anymore, she was seething with anger. Her heart was racing in her chest and she balled her hands into fists to keep herself from slapping him again. She wanted to hit him, wanted to find an outlet for all this rage, all the pain, inside of her.

And then he looked at her with this too blue eyes, letting her see right down to his soul, and everything came crashing back. The way he'd kissed her, the way she'd felt completely safe when she'd been enclosed by his arms, the way hearing his heart beat under her ear had always soothed her, and the anger suddenly turned into a bone deep yearning for his touch, a yearning that pushed the air out of her lungs, made breathing an almost impossible task.

"Bastard," Emma whispered, her skin tingling where his hand was still closed around her arm, and tears started to well up in her eyes, because she still loved him, and it was all his fault.

"I know," Killian said softly, his thumb brushing over her arm, the movement shooting tingles through her body.

"You goddamn bastard."

And then she reached up, wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down to crush her lips on his.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **It's time for the M-rated part of this story. :-)**

He'd definitely not expected that. He'd expected her to hit him again. Not kiss him. But God, how much he wanted to kiss her.

His arms slipped around her waist, hauling her into his body while he was assaulting her mouth, the kisses so rough and passionate that he made himself feel dizzy with need and lust, his body almost combusting with want, and then she let out a breathy moan and the sound alone was his undoing.

He let out a growl, pressed his erection into her stomach, and fisted his hand in her shirt, almost losing the fight to rip it apart. But some of his brain cells must still be alive - the ones that were not going up in flames in the surge of lust rushing through him - because he managed to tear his mouth from Emma's, his breathing coming out in erratic pants as he tried to get himself under control again.

"Emma, we should ..."

"No talking," she interrupted, pressing her mouth on his again.

"But ..." he mumbled under her lips, trying to keep a hold on the last shreds of his sanity.

"I can't talk right now," she hissed, her teeth closing around his bottom lip and tugging hard, shooting a ball of heat right to his groin. "I need you too much. Waited too long."

He knew he should stop this, knew it would bite him in the ass eventually. But he was weak, just too weak to push her away.

So he tightened his grip around her, and as if she knew what he was thinking she rocked into him, causing his erection to grow even harder – something he didn't think was possible. He grabbed her legs just under her ass and tugged, letting out a growl when she immediately reacted and jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He carried her to the bedroom, his mouth working hers insistently while he tried not to run into the doorframe. He didn't even know how he managed to get them to the bed without giving them both bruises, but somehow he succeeded.

Emma didn't even let him come up for air when he tumbled them both on the mattress, her hand was on the nap of his neck a moment later, and she pulled him back down, her tongue invading his mouth while her hips rocked against his.

"God, Emma," he groaned, grinding against her so hard that he started to see stars.

"Too much clothes," she replied, her hands flying over his body and tugging at his clothes. "Naked. I need you naked now."

Only God knew how they managed to get out of their clothes, because Killian was too occupied to savor every inch of newly exposed skin with his hands and mouth to actually be much help in getting them both naked.

But eventually Emma was sprawled out on the bed stark naked, her chest heaving with ragged breaths as he stared down at her, and his hand went involuntarily to his cock.

"Gorgeous," he whispered, tightening his grip as he saw her pupils dilate with lust as she watched him work his cock.

"Need you," she breathed, her eyes meeting his while her hand wandered down her body, her fingers closing around one nipple and playing with it.

A growl rumbled out of his chest upon seeing her fondle herself, and he let go of his cock and joined her on the mattress. Pulling her legs apart, he settled between them, bearing down on her with his whole weight as he kissed her so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if he tasted blood.

He wanted to devour her, wanted to bury himself inside of her as deep as he could get, wanted to feel her rub against him. He wanted to lick and touch every inch of her body, wanted to spend hours worshipping her. But her nails were digging into his skin, and her mumbled command of 'Just fuck me already', pushed him over the edge, the lust coursing through him taking over control.

His hand slipped between her thighs, a part of his brain still lucid enough to make sure she was ready for him, and they groaned simultaneously when he found her oh so wet for him and couldn't resist plunging two fingers deep inside of her.

"God damn it, Jones. I don't need ..." Her hand gripped his and yanked his fingers out of her body. "Would you just get in me already."

He didn't answer her, just captured one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked at it hard, almost going all caveman on her when she writhed and whimpered under him, her back arching upwards, her fingers fisting his hair and pulling him closer as if she was afraid he would stop.

_So not gonna happen, love._

He let her nipple pop out of his mouth and mumbled, "Just a second."

Scooting upwards, he reached for his wallet, thanking God and the universe and everyone who was listening that he'd had the foresight to pull it out of his pants before Emma had nearly ripped them off him.

Killian almost dropped the condom when Emma's fingers closed around his cock and she started to pump him so hard that he needed to grit his teeth and think of something horrible to keep himself from blowing his load right then and there.

"Easy, love," he grumbled, removing her fingers from around his cock before he could embarrass himself.

"In me. Now."

Killian rolled the condom on as fast as he could, his cock throbbing as he pulled one of her legs up and over his shoulder. Her body went rigid when he positioned himself at her entrance, her fingers gripping his arm hard as he snapped his hips forward and buried himself in her.

It felt exquisite, being enveloped by her warm, tight sheath, and he started to thrust into her, keeping his eyes open to watch her as he fucked her as hard as he could. For one moment he feared he might be too rough, but then her body arched into his and she urged him on to move even harder, faster, and he obeyed.

It was an animalistic coupling, positions changing every so often – he on top, she on top, he pumping into her from behind – and he completely lost track of time. He just wanted to stay buried inside of her forever, didn't want to leave her body ever, and when he finally came he felt as if his body was ripped into pieces with his orgasm. Her walls clenched around him as he thrust one last time into her, and as he crushed down on her a few moments later he was just glad that she'd come as hard as he.

Killian was already half asleep as he slipped out of her and took care of the condom, knotting it and just letting it drop down on the floor, too tired to throw it away properly. When he turned around to her again he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She came willingly, snuggling up against him without any hesitation, and he let out a low hum, brushing his lips against her forehead and splaying his hand out over her stomach.

He was surrounded by the smells of their lovemaking and Emma's unique scent, and when he drifted off to sleep he realized that he'd never been more happy in his life than just in this moment.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma didn't know if she should be grateful for the fact that Killian was a heavy sleeper, or if it annoyed her. She'd been standing beside the bed for minutes now, and he hadn't moved. Not that she needed him to, not that she wanted him to.

Damn, she didn't know what she wanted anymore.

Her throat closed up, and her eyes started to hurt as she felt her nose prickle; she wanted to cry, to shed some tears. But she'd promised herself four years ago, after she'd cried her heart out for days, that he would never make her cry again. Never.

But here she was now, fighting not to break down.

She pinched her nose, and pressed her eyes shut, gulping hard a few times to remove the lump in her throat. As she opened her eyes again, they fell on his unmoving form again, and she let her gaze roam over his body one more time.

He'd changed, and here - without him watching her, without him knowing she was watching him – she could admit he'd changed for the better when it came to his physiques. He'd filled out his lean frame, and it just made him even more devastatingly handsome.

But it wasn't the only change; he'd matured considerably over the last years. Became more serious, more driven. She'd felt it in every touch of his hands, in his kisses, in the way he pushed her over the edge.

Shifting on her feet, she felt all the sore spots he'd left behind, and another wave of emotion swept over her. He was supposed to be her first man, and her last. They'd promised each other to stay together forever, and he'd taken that away from her.

She'd never wanted another man but him, never wanted to share even a hint of intimacy with anyone else but him. But he'd practically forced her to go on with her life without him. It had been excruciating to pick herself up after he'd broken up with her, but she did pick herself up.

Piece by piece.

Her first time hadn't been that bad, but it hadn't been good either. She hadn't loved Brian. She'd just wanted to finally get it over with, realizing that she needed to give up the last thing that bound her to Killian in some way. He was the one she wanted to lose her virginity with, but he'd stopped loving her and she needed to move on.

There had been two more after Brian, she couldn't even remember their names, and then there was Graham. She might have fallen in love with him if her heart didn't already belong to someone else, but as it was it wasn't meant to be. But the sex had been great. Fortunately she didn't leave a broken heart behind as she ended it with him. His heart hadn't been in it either.

And now she was here. Feeling every sore muscle in her body after spending one wonderful night with Killian.

People were right, being in love with someone changed everything. The sex was just different. More intense, more fulfilling, more earth-shattering. Just more.

But still, being in love with him didn't mean she could ever forgive him for what he did. He'd shattered her heart, thinking he could make decisions for her. He'd taken that away from her. Her free will.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she'd have loathed him eventually for it. But she didn't think so. She'd loved him too much. Nothing else had been more important than being with him. Her career was just that. Her career. It didn't fill her heart with that soul-encompassing tenderness, with that sense of wholeness being with had given her. But that feeling was gone now. As he looked at him she just felt pain and regret, and love she didn't want to feel.

"I love you, Killian," she whispered, her vision blurring as tears welled up in her eyes. "But sometimes love is not enough."

-/-

Emma didn't know how she managed to get home; she probably needed to thank Moonlight for bringing her home in one piece. She'd ridden home on autopilot, her heart was lying heavy in her chest, every breath she needed to draw into her lungs caused the pressure in her chest to grow even heavier.

Her mother took one look at her and shooed her father out of the house, telling him he should busy himself in the stables. Emma saw the concern flicker over her father's face, but he just pulled her into his arms for a moment and pressed his lips on her forehead before he heeded her mother's advice and left the house.

Emma was sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of cocoa minutes later, her mother sitting across from her, sipping at her own cup before putting it down on the table and reaching for Emma's hand.

"What happened, honey?"

"I ..."

Emma bit her tongue, because the tears were still so close to the surface, and the wish to collapse into her mother's arms and cry her heart out was strong. But she couldn't break down; she didn't know if she could pick herself up again after she allowed herself to fall to pieces. Taking in a shuddering breath, she straightened her shoulders and met her mother's gaze, the words falling out of her mouth as she told her mother everything.

She felt completely depleted afterwards, emotionally exhausted. She just wanted to crawl into bed and forget everything for a few precious hours, though her dreams would probably not give her any rest. Maybe it was better to occupy her mind with work.

"I see."

Her mother pulled her back to the present, and she looked at her, startling slightly as she saw complete understanding in her mother's eyes. And something else, something like … knowledge?

"You knew?" Emma breathed, surprise jolting through her. Her mother had known all along?

"I'm your mother, Emma. Of course I knew," she told her softly, a smile pulling her lips up. "Besides, every time you two were in a room together the sparks were flying everywhere."

"I didn't think you knew."

"It wasn't my place to say anything. It's your life, Emma. Your choices. Your mistakes."

"So you think falling in love with him was a mistake?"

"He broke your heart, Emma. I've seen it in your eyes when you came back home after he broke up with you. You were devastated, and I couldn't do anything to help you." Her mother's hand squeezed hers, her eyes so full of compassion that Emma's throat closed up again. "I hated that he hurt you like this, but now that I know why he did it … making this decision for you without asking you … of course he should have told you. But he was trying to protect you, trying to protect you from making what he considered the wrong decision."

"But it should have been _my_ decision," Emma shouted, new anger sweeping over her.

"Yes, he made a mistake. A mistake that cost you both a lot. But you can't change the past, honey. You can only decide what you want to do with your future." Her mother's tone was soothing, and strangely her calm voice eased Emma's mind. "So the question is … do you still love him, Emma?"

"Yes," she whispered without hesitation, her heart clenching in her chest. "Yes, I still love him."

"So even after spending four years trying to forget him you still love him, and apparently he still loves you." Her mother always managed to come straight to the point, always forcing Emma to look at the truth without trying to find a way around the hard topics. Emma admired her mother for that, even if it meant she had to confront her true feelings about Killian. The look in her mother's eyes told her that she'd ask the really hard questions now, and Emma prepared herself for them, knowing her mother would be able to get straight for the heart. "Are you ready to turn your back on that love without even trying to salvage it? Are you willing to lose him again?"

_No_ , her heart cried out immediately, followed by her mind shouting _You'll never be able to trust him again_ an instant later.

"This kind of love ..." her mother paused until Emma met her gaze, her voice tender as she continued, "It doesn't happen very often, Emma. You just have to ask yourself … are you strong enough to fight for it?"

She'd only shied away from a fight once - when she let Killian go without a fight, without confronting him, without demanding an explanation. She wouldn't make that same mistake again. She lost him once. She wasn't willing to lose him again.

Fight it was then.


	7. Chapter 7

Of course the thought that she might leave had crossed his mind before he'd fallen asleep with her body pressed against his, so when Killian woke up and stretched out his hand in search of Emma's warm body and she wasn't beside him … he wasn't really surprised, but it still hurt. More than it probably should. More than he had a right to feel.

For a brief moment he had the hope that she was just in the other room, that she would be leaning against the doorframe when he opened his eyes and would smile at him. He knew hoping for it was foolish, but his heart still sped up as he shifted on the bed to face the door. He listened with still closed eyes for any sound that would tell him that Emma was still there, but when he heard none he took a deep breath and forced his eyes opened.

The pain was there first, a sharp stab to his heart when she wasn't there, dulling to a throbbing ache when he walked into the adjacent room and saw that all her things were gone.

"What did you expect, you fool?"

The night with Emma had been everything he imagined and so much more. He'd always thought he'd lose his virginity to her, but then he'd broken up with her and even though his heart had splintered into a million pieces he'd forced himself to go on.

He'd tried to chase her out of his mind by taking the first available girl to bed, and thankfully Kathy had already left his bed before she could see the tears that had been welling up in his eyes because his first woman hadn't been Emma. There had been quite a few since then. Meaningless sex, and as far as he knew he'd even managed not to break any more hearts. He never had a relationship, never promised more than he could give, and all the women he'd been with knew that. Not one of them had ever wanted more than good sex without strings.

He thought he could live with that, that he had no other choice than to live without Emma in his life. He didn't want to hurt any woman by pretending he felt more for her than he truly did, so he never even tried to find more. He didn't expect to ever forget Emma, and then she was standing in front of him again and his heart soared back to life.

But her absence this morning sent a clear message. She might have been too weak yesterday to resist the sizzling attraction that still burnt between them, but she didn't want to have anything else to do with him.

He hurt her. Badly. And she was apparently not willing to forgive him.

-/-

He'd cleaned the cabin, made sure the fire was out and took the sheets with him. Normally he would bring them to Mary Margaret because she'd told him a long time ago that it was easier if she washed them and brought them back to the cabin afterwards. But this time Killian would do it himself. He couldn't face Emma's parents, couldn't face Emma. At least not yet.

His heart was heavy as he closed the door behind him, wondering if he would experience the happiness he felt last night ever again. A weight settled on his shoulders for a moment, almost bringing him to his knees. But then he straightened and turned around with determination. It wouldn't do him any good to dwell on all the things he did wrong in the past. He couldn't change them anymore, and being with Emma for one amazing night wouldn't make up for all his past mistakes. He had to accept her decision.

Elsa took only one look at him when he stepped through the door and immediately knew something was off. For once Killian was glad that his sister-in-law was so perceptive, because she only let the little rascals hug him for a moment before she ushered them out of the door and shared one of those 'married couple looks' with his brother.

Liam didn't even say something, he just pointed to the chair across from him and raised one eyebrow, and Killian spilled everything. Well, not the details of the night, but the rest – about their father's ultimatum, meeting Emma again in the cabin, sharing the night with her.

Talking to Liam helped. Not much. But it helped. Lessened the weight on his shoulders. With time he knew the pain would dull. With time losing her again wouldn't hurt so much anymore, wouldn't feel as if his lungs weren't able to draw in enough air.

"So you're just gonna let her go a second time? Are you completely insane, Killian?"Liam snapped and Killian jerked in his seat. That was not was he was expecting from his brother. He didn't expect a lot of compassion, but he also didn't expect his brother to read him the riot act. "You've never been in love with anyone else your whole life, and I never understood why you two broke up. Because you bloody fool didn't tell me what dad did." Liam's voice turned angry as he continued, "If you had I'd've put your head in a headlock until you picked up the phone and called Emma to tell her the truth and apologize profusely for being such an sodden fool. Then I would have stood beside you until you've started to beg for her forgiveness before sending you to the next flower shop so that you can buy a ton of flowers on your way to her."

Killian stared at his brother with an open mouth for a few seconds while he processed what his brother had told him, and it still took him several attempts until he was able to say anything at all, and even then his voice was feeble. "Do you think she can ever forgive me?"

"How about you ride over and find out," Liam said harshly as he pushed up from his chair. Grabbing his arm, Liam hauled him out of his own chair and pushed him towards the door. "Get out of here, little brother."

"Younger brother," Killian yelled over his shoulder, already half out the door.

Liam was right, it was time to fight for her. He had a lot of groveling to do, but he was ready to do what needed to be done to get her back. He lost her once through his own mistake, he didn't want to lose her again.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma turned around about ten times on her way over to the Jones ranch; she could swear Moonlight's snorts were starting to sound derisive as Emma yanked her head around for the tenth time, but the nearer she came to the ranch the more nervous she got.

What if he didn't want to talk to her? What if riding to him was a mistake? What if her heart couldn't take it? What if she was heading towards an inevitable heartbreak again?

Emma's fingers tightened around the reins as she rode down the hill towards the main house, her flight instinct battling against her courage. She was about to turn Moonlight's head around again and bury her heels in her flanks as a movement at the stables caught her eyes, and her heart leaped into her throat as she recognized the man coming out of the stable door.

Killian.

Turning around wasn't an option anymore. A moment later he spotted her and froze to the spot, his eyes never leaving hers as she rode slowly towards him. Her heart was fluttering in her chest by now, and she forced herself to release the death grip on the reins as she looked down at him. She didn't know how to begin, and he didn't say anything either. The silence was weighing heavy on her, and she scrambled desperately to find her voice again, but then he smiled, the grin easing her frantic mind immediately.

"I was just about to ride over to see you."

Her heart skipped a beat in joy that he wanted to go after her, but she managed not to show how much his words meant to her. Instead she just said in a brusque tone, "We need to talk."

Killian flinched slightly, and Emma realized how her words might sound. After all, normally nothing good came after this words when you believed the movies. But she wasn't able to take the sting out of the words; these four words had been all she was able to push past the lump in her throat.

"The lake?" he asked, mounting his horse in a fluid motion that made other parts of her body flare to life. Parts she couldn't listen to right now.

For a moment Emma hesitated; the lake carried a lot of memories. But maybe it was the exact right place to talk about their future, to decide if they even had a future together.

"Okay. Let's ride to the lake."

-/-

The impact of being at the lake again was even stronger than Emma expected. They'd spent so much time there. Talking for hours. Laughing. Swimming. Just being happy.

She struggled with keeping the memories at bay as she dismounted and led Moonlight into the small paddock; Killian was already walking towards the secured camp fire place, a blanket placed over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the surroundings for appropriate firewood.

It took him only a few minutes to get the fire going, and Emma was grateful for the warmth that blazed over her skin as she sat down on the blanket he'd thrown over the log situated in front of the fire. He joined her a moment later, stretching his hands toward the fire to soak up the warmth himself. She knew she should say something, but suddenly her mind was empty. Fortunately Killian didn't have the same problem.

"Emma, I ..." She turned to face him as he trailed off, his intense gaze almost warming her as much as the fire at her side. "Spending the night with you … it just drove it home again how much I've missed you. How miserable my life was without you. What an idiot I was to push you away." His hand reached for hers and she met him half-way, curling her fingers around his. "I want to be with you again. I haven't felt whole in a very long time. Not until I saw you again yesterday." His fingers tightened around hers, his next words barely audible. "I love you. So, so much."

Suddenly it was so easy, because her mother had been right. Emma couldn't change the past, but her future was still in her hands, and she wanted Killian to be in it. It really was that easy.

"I love you, too. Always have. Always will," she whispered, her vision starting to blur as tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm just not sure if it's enough to pick up the pieces of what we've lost and put them back together."

"I know," he replied softly, his eyes darting for a second down to their entwined hands before meeting her gaze again. "But … can you give me another chance, Emma? Can you give us another chance?"

"Yes, I want to try." Emma felt her lips tremble as she smiled; she was still afraid that they couldn't salvage their relationship, but the joy of having him back outweighed the fear, at least in that moment, and she lifted a shaking hand to cup his face, feeling his scruff prickle her skin as she murmured, "I've missed you so much, Killian."

He pulled her into his lap then, his arms coming around her and holding her tight to his chest, and as she snuggled against him she realized that it was the first time in years that she could breathe freely again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Just for your information … there is only one chapter left, and then an epilogue. Like I said it's only a short story.**


	9. Chapter 9

Killian was probably grinning like a fool as he stepped back into the house hours later, but he couldn't help it. He was just so ridiculously happy that Emma was willing to give him another chance, and he'd call his joy from the rooftop if he could manage to climb up there.

Someone cleared their throat behind him and pulled him out of his happy bubble, and Killian turned around without trying to keep his grin in check. No matter who it was, they could see how happy he was right now. But he didn't need to worry since it was only his brother standing in the hallway.

"Thank goodness." Liam sagged against the wall with an obvious expression of relief on his face, and Killian furrowed his brows in confusion when his brother added, "That takes a load off my mind."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you're probably aware how much I loathe all the administrative work that comes with our business?"

"Of course," Killian replied, chuckling softly. His brother always came out of the office with his hair standing in all directions, swearing the hours he spent bent over his desk were ten times more harrowing then spending two days in the saddle during a torrential downpour. So of course Killian knew how much his brother loathed the administrative part of their business. "I don't think anyone on this ranch thinks you like it."

"Exactly. So I've been playing with this idea of going into a merger with another ranch for some time now. Let them do the boring work."

"Another ranch?" Killian didn't know his brother had been thinking about a merger, making him wonder why Liam hadn't told him about it before, and there was only one reason why his brother kept it a secret so far. "You mean the Swan ranch?"

"Yes, David and I have already talked it through. We would both profit immensely from a merger. But ..."

"But what?"

"We both didn't want to force Emma and you to work together. It was the only thing that kept us from finalizing the deal," Liam replied, sending a huge grin his way as he added, "So, I'm really glad that you pulled your head out of your arse and made up with her, little brother."

"Younger brother," Killian mumbled, shaking his head. "It's a great idea, Liam. You should draw up the contract as soon as possible."

He might have difficulties to keep his hands off Emma when they met in a professional capacity, but the thought of seeing her every day made him actually want to jump up and down with joy, and he was sure if he did steal a kiss from time to time no one would have any complaints.

-/-

"You all right, honey?" her mother greeted her the moment Emma stepped over the threshold.

"Yes, I'm more than all right," she answered, certain that the huge grin on her face would extinguish all her mother's worries.

The moment her mother locked eyes with her the worry lines on her mother's face Emma knew would be there did disappear and her mother smiled back at her. "So you and Killian are back together again?"

"Yes, we are back together," Emma replied, feeling a giddy laughter bubble up in her chest. She was just so happy.

"Your father will be relieved to hear it."

"Relieved?" Why would her father be relieved that she was back together with Killian? It didn't make sense. "I can imagine he might be happy for me, but relieved?"

"Well, we've never kept secrets from you when it comes to the ranch and although we did manage to get by quite well it got harder and harder over the last years, as you well know. Your father is getting too old for the hard work, and even if you're willing to help out wherever and whenever you can it wouldn't be enough and we can't afford to pay more help."

"So he found a ranch to merge with?" Emma asked without arguing. She knew of their dire situation, knew that a merger was the only smart decision. She just didn't know that her father had already looked for likely candidates. "Who?"

"The Jones ranch."

The name was a shock at first since the hate lingering between their two families had been the main reason Killian and she broke up in the first place. A merger of the two ranches didn't come to her mind even once. "But father never wanted anything to do with them. Never."

"He did. As long as Carlson was alive. But since Liam manages the ranch … it's different now, Emma. Liam came to your father a few months ago to bury the hatchet between our two families. They started to talk and realized that they have a lot in common."

A merger between the Jones and the Swan ranch did make a lot of sense, and Emma wondered why her father hadn't considered it sooner. But then she remembered that her parents had known all along about Killian and she, so her father's reluctance to merge with the Jones ranch was actually understandable. He didn't want to hurt her.

"You didn't tell me because of Killian, right?" Emma asked, waiting for her mother to nod before she continued, "Well, the problem has resolved itself now, hasn't it? So there is no reason to hold off on the merger any longer."

-/-

She'd only talked to Killian over text the whole day, wondering if he knew about the merger or not. It was a huge step for all of them, but she would definitely not stand in the way of something all the partners would profit from. She just had to find a way to keep her professional and personal life as separate as possible.

Emma turned around as she heard the door to the stable open, and when her eyes fell on Killian she realized that staying all professional around him might turn out to be a huge challenge. He sauntered towards her with a lopsided smirk on his face and her heart skipped a beat as he stopped a few inches in front of her and leaned against the wall beside her.

"Partners all the way now, huh?" he said without preamble, answering the question that had been running through her mind the whole day. He knew about the merger.

"Yep," Emma replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "And to be honest … it scares me a little."

"Why?"

"What if we don't work out?" she asked with a soft voice. "What if we stop loving each other? We still have to work together, no matter what happens with us."

His arms were suddenly around her and he pulled her into his embrace. She went willingly, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder, listening to his soft voice rumble in her ear. "One step at a time, Swan. We can do this. I know we can."

"You sure?"

"Aye, I am. Because I love you, and you love me. And we're gonna be fine." He pushed her back a little so that he could look down into her eyes, his mouth curling up with a lascivious grin accompanied by a waggle of his eyebrows as he said, "And imagine all the hot sex we can have in the stables or in your office."

She couldn't keep herself from rolling her eyes as she pulled out of his arms and swatted her hand against his chest. "You think I'm gonna let you distract me from work?"

"Aye, I'm sure you won't mind a little distraction from time to time," Killian drawled, cocking one eyebrow at her as he added, "Too relieve the stress."

"Relieving the stress? Right."

"Want me to show you how stress-relieving it can be?"

She almost said no, but then she considered their surroundings and suddenly she didn't want to say no anymore. The stables were quiet, the horses had been fed, the stalls cleaned for the night and the workers had all gone home. They were completely alone, and Emma just didn't have it in her to resist the promise that was shining in his eyes. So she just turned around and walked to the last stall on the left, the one she knew was empty, throwing Killian a lopsided grin over her shoulder as she disappeared into it.

He wasn't far behind, swirling her around and pressing her against the hard stone wall in the blink of an eye. She was actually giggling as she hopped around on one foot a moment later as his fingers were tugging frantically at her boot and jeans until he finally managed to free her leg, and before she could take in another breath he hauled her up into his arms, her jeans dangling from one ankle as she crossed her legs on the small of his back.

A breathy 'hold on' and then his hands were gone while he fumbled with his own pants, just shoving them down a few inches to free his erection and Emma gasped when she felt his thick head bumping against her already soaking wet entrance. She wanted him so much that her whole body was vibrating, and she leaned forward, letting her lips brush over his ear as she whispered, "I need you, Killian. Now."

His body shifted against hers, a grunt spilled over his lips as he pushed upwards and she groaned out loud as he filled her, sliding into her oh so slowly.

"Look at me."

She opened her eyes and met his gaze, her walls contracting around him as she saw the heat and love in his eyes. He didn't move, just stood there with her in his arms, his length buried completely inside of her, just watching her.

Her throat tightened, tears shot in her eyes and her voice was barely audible when she said, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

His lips crashed down on hers, his tongue darting into her mouth, kissing her like there was no tomorrow, and then he started to move, taking her with deep and hard thrusts against the wall, and all coherent thoughts vanished into oblivion as he pushed her closer and closer, his hoarse voice rasping dirty things into her ear the whole time - telling her how wet she was, how hot, how tight her walls enveloped his cock, how he couldn't wait to feel her walls milking him dry - until she couldn't hold back any longer and let the orgasm wash over her, taking him right with her.

Her heart was still hammering against her ribcage, her chest heaving with ragged breaths but she was grinning like a fool as she threaded her fingers in Killian's hair and closed her eyes, tilting her head to lean her forehead against his. It might be totally cliché or totally ridiculous, probably both, to feel completely content in that moment, to feel the love they shared surrounding them. Killian's hot breath was brushing over her neck, her ass was throbbing with a dull pain due to being pushed against the stone wall over and over again, his cock was still pulsing inside of her, her thighs were protesting against the strain they were under and her ankle seemed to weigh a ton since her jeans were trying to drag it down. But she couldn't care less.

She was content because she knew he was right, she felt it with every fiber of her being. They could do this. They'd be fine. Since they had the best thing you could have on their side.

Love.


	10. Chapter 10

**Epilogue**

_Two years later_

This was the best part of the day, in her opinion, when the sun had just started to paint the horizon in all tones of yellow, orange and red. She loved being outside and watching the sun rise, being surrounded only by nature, listening to the forest awake.

Her breath billowed out in white clouds and she shivered in the still cold morning air. She should have probably put on her jacket but she didn't want to go back to their tent just yet. The panorama in front of her was just too incredible to take her eyes off. She could freeze for a few more moments.

She hadn't heard him approach, she'd probably had been too stunned by the beauty of light in front of her to really listen to the sounds around her. She startled when he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her, the warmth of his body against her back and the blanket he pulled close over both their bodies chasing away the chill of the early morning.

"Good morning, love," he mumbled against her ear, his scruff brushing over her skin as he pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"Morning," she breathed back, snuggling even deeper into his embrace.

They didn't say anything for a very long time as they both watched the sky change colors every few seconds until the sun finally appeared completely over the horizon.

"Beautiful," Killian whispered, his arms tightening around her.

"Right? I love watching the sun rise. All these colors."

"Those are also beautiful. But I was talking about you."

Warmth spread through her with his words and she bit her tongue to keep herself from shrugging his compliment off like she had so many times before over the last two years. She wasn't wearing any make-up, her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she was wearing one of his shirts over her long-sleeve shirt that had also seen better days. But Killian didn't care, he'd never cared. He loved her no matter what she looked like, even when she was lying in bed with a cold that made her nose and eyes all red.

The last two years hadn't been easy, though. Of course there had been fights, yelled words in anger that you couldn't take back, slammed doors and tears. But they hadn't given up, they'd fought for their love and in the end they came out stronger than they were ever before.

Trusting him with everything, her heart and her soul, had taken her quite some time. The hurt sitting deeper than she'd imagined when they'd given their relationship another chance. But now she trusted him explicitly. Trusted that he would always stay by her side. Turning in his arms, she wrapped her arms firmly around him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered into his chest and closed her eyes.

"Enough to change your mind?" he asked, the teasing tone clear in his voice.

She'd told him no over and over again, every single time he'd asked before. But today was different, listening to his heart beat under her ear while his hands trailed up and down her spine the reasons why she'd said no until now had apparently gone up in smoke. She couldn't recall them any more, and as the world around them started to wake up she realized that the last bricks of her walls had crumpled. She was ready now. She was finally ready to take that next step.

"Yes," she replied and leaned back to look up into his eyes. "I'm moving in with you."

"It's about bloody time." His mouth was on hers to give her a hungry kiss before she could utter another word, the heat of his passion awakening her whole body and making her tingle in all the right places. Dizziness made her knees weak when he released her lips, her heart beating frantically in her chest as his fingers closed around her cheeks, his forehead touching hers. "I love you, too."

The sun was starting to warm her back, his thumbs were skimming over her cheeks and his lips hovered only a few inches away from hers. She felt warm and safe. Utterly happy.

She was right where she wanted to be. In Killian's arms. Looking forward to a bright and promising future together.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you all so much for your kudos, comments and bookmarks along the way. They made me all warm and fuzzy inside.**  
> 
> **Thank you!**


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